The Panther Press

August 19, 2024

Visit Panorama's Website for more information

2024 - 2025 School Year

We look forward to the beginning of a wonderful school year! If you are receiving this newsletter and are no longer planning to attend Panorama Elementary, please contact our office immediately.

If you are planning to attend Panorama Elementary, but you will not be present on the first day of school, please contact the office immediately.

Back to School Night

Tomorrow, Tuesday August 20, is our Back to School Night. The gates will open at 4:45 PM to allow you time to find your child's classroom and take a look at our new Spirit Wear. PTA will have items available for purchase.

TK and Kindergarten will be doing one presentation at 5 PM. If you do not have another presentation to attend at 5:30, you can stay at the conclusion of the TK/Kinder presentation to ask any questions you may have.

1st through 6th grade will do one presentation at 5 PM and an identical presentation at 5:30 PM. You do not have to stay for both, if you only have one child at Panorama!

As a reminder, this is an adult only event. Children should not attend.

First Day of School Procedures

All families are welcome to walk their children onto campus the first day of school. We will have the upper field open for parking. Once the bell rings to begin the day, all families will say goodbye to their children on the blacktop. Teachers and staff will ensure all students make their way into the classroom. Families will not be walking children to the teachers' doors. Please be sure to say your goodbyes on the blacktop.

Data Confirmation & Teacher Assignments

All families must complete Data Confirmation each year to verify and update student information. Data Conformation is our electronic emergency card and data collection for both new and returning students. It allows parents to update contacts, identify medical conditions, view and agree to school policies/documents, and update authorization information.

Please complete this NOW! Login to the Parent Portal and complete this for each child. Log in HERE. You do not need to print out the emergency cards. We will do that for you!

You will also find your teacher assignment on the Parent and Student Portals on Tuesday, August 20, in the afternoon. Teachers and administration work together to create dynamic classroom instructional groups. This process takes into consideration academic achievement, social-emotional components, and group behavior dynamics. No changes will be made to classes until ten school days after the beginning of the school year.

Each teacher and classroom support our scholars in developing a resilient growth mindset to confidently learn, purposefully adapt, and empathetically lead in our evolving community and world.

Medication at School

Some over the counter medications, such as lotion and petroleum jelly, are available at school. If you would like your child to have access to these, please fill out and send in the Over the Counter Parent-Guardian Authorization Form found below.

If your child needs medication at school, please bring the medication and the Parent-Physician Medication Form below to the office. If we do not have the Parent-Physician Medication Form, the medication cannot be kept or administered at school.

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Over the Counter Parent-Guardian Authorization Form Eng Span.pdf

Parent Physician Medication Req-Eng.dot

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Grade Level Wish Lists

Click on a grade level below to see the wish lists.

Section 5 of Article IX of the State of California Constitution guarantees students a "free public education." The State Supreme Court concluded in the 1984 case of Hartzell v. Connell, "that all educational activities carried on by public school districts, extra-curricular as well as curricula, must be without cost to the students who participate in such activities." This same ruling found that "mandatory fees for participating in such extra-curricular activities as drama, music, and athletic competition were illegal under the State Constitution." Furthermore, they also rejected the argument that "fees could be charged so long as the district waived fees for students who were financially unable to pay." Recent proposed legislation includes reimbursement with interest for any illegally-collected fees as well as a district sanction.

Transitional Kindergarten

Parking Lot Procedures

Arrival

- Students may be dropped off as early as 8 AM.

- Enter the parking lot in the inner and outer lanes only. DO NOT ENTER THE PARKING LOT IN THE MIDDLE LANE FOR SAFETY REASONS, even if you see space in the front.

- Stay in the inner and outer lanes, until you are ready to exit the parking lot. You may use the middle lane to exit.

- Pull all the way forward and drop off your child.

- Please help your child quickly exit by having all supplies ready to go. If you need to help your child out of the car, please wait until you are able to stop after the crosswalk.

- Do not leave your car unattended at any time.

- A staff member will be outside to direct students through the front gate until 8:15 AM.

Parking

If you need to enter the school, please park your car in a designated parking spot and come to the office. Never leave your car in lanes unattended or parked along the side wall.

Dismissal

- Place your placard in your window. You will receive the placard at Back to School Night, arrival, or dismissal. We will have them available in the parking lot and the office during the first two weeks of school. This placard should include the name of your child(ren), grade(s), and teacher's name(s).

- Enter the parking lot in the inner and outer lanes only. DO NOT ENTER THE PARKING LOT IN THE MIDDLE LANE FOR SAFETY REASONS, even if you see space in the front.

- Stay in the inner and outer lanes. Pull all the way forward and your child will be called to come to your car.

- Your child will enter the car.

- Do not get out of your car or leave your car unattended at any time.

Please be patient as families learn this system. This system keeps everybody safe and efficiently moving forward. Thank you very much for your cooperation and efforts to keep all of our Panthers safe.

Important Dates

NOW: Complete Aeries Data Confirmation

Tuesday, August 20: TK and Kindergarten Meet the Teacher for STUDENTS ONLY, 1:30 drop off - 2:15 pick up. TK and Kindergarten parents will be notified by their teacher prior to the event, and we will also have the list available at drop-off.

Tuesday, August 20: Teacher assignments for students available on Aeries Parent Portal in the afternoon

Tuesday, August 20: Back to School Night @5 PM

Wednesday, August 21: First day of school, Modified Day Schedule

Tuesday, August 27: PTA General Meeting

Monday, September 2: Labor Day, No School

Wednesday, September 11: Patriot Day - Spirit Day - Wear red, white, and blue

Tuesday, September 17: Art Masters Parent Lesson/Art Masters Student Assembly

Tuesday, September 17: PTA Meeting

Wednesday, September 18: Wellness Wednesday -Wear shirts with positive messages

Tuesday, September 24: Picture Day

Wednesday, September 25: Wellness Wednesday -Wear shirts with positive messages

Thursday, September 26: Vision & Hearing Testing

Friday, September 27: PTA Back to School Dance

Monday, September 30: School Site Council Meeting @3 PM

Wednesday, October 2: Wellness Wednesday -Wear shirts with positive messages

Monday, October 7: Panther Fun Run Kickoff

Monday, October 7 - Friday, October 11: Parent Conferences, MINIMUM DAYS

Wednesday, October 9: Wellness Wednesday -Wear shirts with positive messages

Lost and Found

Please be sure to label all lunchboxes, sweatshirts, and jackets. Items will quickly begin to appear in our lost and found! If your child is missing an item, please remind them to check the lost and found outside of the office.

Nutrition Services

Breakfast and lunch will continue to be provided to all students at no cost this school year. Breakfast is served before school starts, beginning at 8:00. Please be sure to have your child here at 8:00, if you would like them to eat breakfast before school starts. This ensures they have enough time to finish.

All students need to be sure they let their teacher know the day before they buy lunch. We may not have enough lunches if they do not request one. Also, please remind your child that they should not be getting lunch if they bring one. On Wednesdays, due to the modified schedule, lunch is not served. Instead, we serve brunch at recess. Please remind your child to let their teacher know on Tuesday that they will be buying brunch on Wednesday. You can find the lunch menu here: https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=2501081743337031&page=menus

Wednesday Schedule and CARES

On Wednesdays, brunch is served during recess instead of lunch at the end of the day. Due to this, students attending CARES will need to pack a lunch, if the snacks served are not sufficient. Picking up lunch from nutrition services will not be an option on Wednesdays. Please contact CARES with any questions about the snack schedule.

School Site Council Members Needed

The Panorama Elementary School Site Council is now accepting nominations for TWO parent members to serve a two-year term.

The School Site Council serves the school by:

- Developing the School Plan with teachers and support staff

- Implementing the School Plan

- Annually evaluating the School Plan

- Reviewing budgets and their use

Our meetings are scheduled for Mondays on September 30, November 18, February 10, March 24, April 28, and May 19. The meetings begin at 3:00 and last no more than an hour. Last year, we conducted the meetings via Google Meet. This will be an option this year to support attendance.

If interested, please email Erin Rosselli at erosselli@orangeusd.org.

USagain Clothing Drop Fundraiser and Tree Machine

Don't forget to place your donations in our usagain container. We receive a small amount of funds each time we fill the collection bin in our parking lot. Please deposit any unwanted clothing items in our bin. You can see the items accepted in the image below.

Panorama recycled 9,126 pounds of clothes which led to 23 trees being planted! Keep up the recycling to raise money for our school and to help the environment.

Birthday Marquee

Would you like to celebrate your child's birthday by surprising them with their name on the marquee? If so, complete the form and return it with your donation to the office.

Panorama Birthday Marquee Form

Bell Schedule

The updated draft bell schedule can be found here.

Reminder: The first day of school is a modified Wednesday. Please be sure to review the bell schedule.

Do You Need an OUSD Bus Pass? Apply Now!

Students are required to possess a bus pass before boarding school buses. Parents choosing to participate in the OUSD busing program must complete an application and select the designated bus stop determined to be the safest and closest bus stop to their home address. You can find the application here.

Smarter Balanced Score Reports

If your child was in third through sixth grade last year, they completed the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments. You can access your child's score report in the Aeries Parent Portal under "Test Scores" and then "State Electronic Score Reports." These results will also be discussed with you at parent conferences in October. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office.

PTA Events

PTA Reflections Contest: "Accepting Imperfection"

Calling ALL artists... "Accepting Imperfection" is the 2024-2025 school year's theme for the annual National PTA Reflections Contest. Explore the arts and express yourself by entering this contest. You can enter projects in the following areas: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. Entries will be due in mid-October. Please email PTA with any questions.